Dirty

I’m totally convinced that God wants us to get dirty.  We often fool ourselves into believing the sanitized lie that we’re all cleaned up.  We posture and present ourselves to have it all together, when in reality we are chasing after a false definition of life – or desperately avoiding a false definition of death.  This pursuit of a false identity defines us and hinders our ability to grow. ‘Getting all cleaned up’ is really just a mask.  We’re play-acting. hiding. faking. running.  It’s hard to partner with God in the tilling of the soil of our hearts.  Our hands get dirty. And I’m convinced that God wants it that way.  

God is actively priming us for what it is He has in store for our lives.  For chapters not yet written. With a sense of anticipation, he is preparing us to take us into new territories – as his ambassadors – to fashion us for what he has planned.

But we’ve got to get dirty first.  Envision the process of tilling the soil.  Think about it.  Picture it in your mind’s eye. Cultivating the ground, breaking through the hard surface and digging up the dirt with your hands, churning the cool of earth still unexposed to the warmth and light of the sun.  Insects creep back into the darkness. Worms writhe in unanticipated disruption.  Our hands get dirty. Relationships get messy. Our idols begin to fall along with all of our defenses.  We find out just how messy we really are when we dig deep beneath the surface. The chaos of our core fears rages like an earthquake, exposing our insecurities and frailty. deep wounds are uncovered and brought into clear view. We become truly self aware, and we don’t often like what we see.

In the midst of the death of our false identities and the mourning of our shattered dreams, there is hope. Hope that there is something greater, something better.  We begin to see the promise of new life, the healing of past hurts, and freedom from current fears.  We gain the assurance that in the unearthing of the ugliness, something beautiful will take root, grow and blossom.

But…only if you till the soil…only if you get dirty.

So, what are you waiting for?

Grab a shovel, my friend, and let's start digging! 

Be Blessed!